The Essentials

...And its been a long December and theres reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I cant remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass...
- Adam Duritz, David Bryson (Counting Crows)

I have no idea what tomorrow brings. I may have some ideas, but nothing concrete. I may have plans, but they could be altered unexpectantly. Tomorrow is always a surprise, its always an adventure.

I am being reminded of that almost daily right now by reading the paper and watching the news. Todays headline in the Holland Sentinel is "Haworth cuts 350 jobs, will close Allegan facility". The Allegan facility employs 180 people, so essentially they are cutting 530 jobs.

Thats 530 people who are losing a weekly paycheck, medical benefits, and 401k matching programs.

Thats 530 people who are going to have to alter there lifestyles dramatically, unless they find other employment.

Thats 530 people who are going to endure the physical and emotional stress of finding new employment, and trying to pay bills.

I have no idea what tomorrow brings.

Proverbs 1:1 says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

James 4:13-15 says, "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

We are in a time of rediscovering what is important in life.
We are in a time where tomorrow is looking frightening.
We are in a time where "cutting back" is forcing us to be "looking in", and finding what is essential.

What are the essentials to life?

Matthew 6: 25-34 says,
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The essentials?

Seek God, remember His promises.

Simplicity

I believe God has been leading me on a journey of discovering simplicity. Simplicity in my spiritual life and simplicity in my earthly life. I want to share two experiences I have had lately. First is I have been reading the book "Small Footprint Big Handprint" by Tri Robinson



This book explores how to live simply and love extravagantly. One statement that Tri makes that resounded with me was:
"When the window of the world is flung open to young people, many of them declare that their lives will be about changing the world. And for a handful, that declaration is a precursor to action. For others, it's merely a haunting reminder years later of how much time they have let slip away in pursuit of the mundane over meaning."
Personally I don't want to wake up 5 years from now with that haunting reminder, and I don't think many Christ Followers do either. I don't want to get caught up in a culture that says "Go to school, get a good paying job, get married, have children, save for retirement, retire from your job, move to a warmer climate, play golf, die". I want to experience a life that mimics Romans 12:2

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is".

When we follow the idea of "What does God want me to do?" rather than "What do I want to do?" things get simpler. You don't have to rack your brain trying to figure out everything. You just pray "God show me your will", and then be obedient. Being obedient is the hardest part of this equation because Gods has always been ready and willing to share with us the plans he has for our life. We have to just have to choose to ask what those plans are and then follow them.

The second experience I want to share briefly is a teaching by Ed and Kent Dobson that I heard at Mars Hill Church about becoming like a child. They referenced Matthew 18 which says:

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.

If I choose to change the way I think and become like a child, life will be simpler. If you want to check out this teaching you can find it at www.marshill.org. It was taught on August 24th 2008.